Smokers respond to spur of the moment chance to quit

A
novel trial that has been underway for a month at Queensgate
mall in Lower Hutt has seen 256 smokers take up the chance
to try nicotine replacement therapy on the spur of the
moment.

The trial is now extending, with stalls due to
open at North City Mall in Porirua tomorrow.

The
University of Otago Wellington trial offers smokers the
chance to sample a range of nicotine replacement therapies
under the guidance of an expert coach at shopping malls and
other public spaces.

Lead researcher Dr Brent Caldwell
says that in the first month that the trial has operated at
Queensgate mall, smokers have been keen to try the products
and experience first-hand the benefits of nicotine
replacement therapy and become more confident in their
ability to quit smoking.

“We’ve had all sorts of
smokers come to try the products, particularly the nicotine
inhalator and nicotine mouthspray which most smokers have
never tried before. We’ve had smokers who aren’t
particularly interested in quitting but just want to see
what the products are like, and we’ve also had smokers who
have already quit recently but are finding it hard to stay
quit, and would like to try new products to give them extra
help.”

Smokers who enroll in the trial are given a free
sample pack of the therapies that they like which they can
use over the next week regardless of whether they want to
quit, or are just curious and want to see how things go, Dr
Caldwell says.

Smokers are encouraged to return to the
stalls regularly over the following five months to receive
further nicotine replacement therapy and
encouragement.

Most smokers opt for a combination of the
nicotine inhalator and mouthspray, and are excited by how
much more effective they are than the standard products that
they’ve tried in the past, Dr Caldwell says.

“The
smokers we’ve seen at the mall, really like the focus on
using nicotine replacement therapy as much as possible, and
only reducing their smoking at a pace that is comfortable
for them.”

The more nicotine that smokers get from the
safe source of nicotine replacement therapy, the less they
will feel the need to get nicotine from smoking, and the
easier it will be to reduce and quit smoking comfortably, he
says.

The trial is an exciting new approach because it
gives smokers a chance to experience the helpful effects of
nicotine replacement therapy, without having to sign up to
setting a quit date, which they might not be ready to do, Dr
Caldwell says.

“Our idea is that providing readily
accessible assistance in a wide variety of community
settings will reduce any delay between a smoker’s thoughts
of quitting and them doing something about it.

“Most
smokers would like to quit, but they often put off trying
because they feel overwhelmed with how hard it is. If
smokers get the chance to use nicotine replacement therapy
in an ideal way, and feel their urge evaporate, they become
much more confidence in their ability to quit.”

Giving
smokers the chance to try nicotine replacement therapy, and
experience how enjoyable it is, will encourage them to use
it and double their chances of quitting, Dr Caldwell
says.

“It’s a totally non-judgmental, liberating, and
empowering way to engage with smokers.”

Stalls are due
to open in the Palmerston North and Manawatu area in
March.

The trial has been funded by the Ministry of Health
Innovation Fund to help New Zealand achieve the smoke-free
nation goal by
2025.

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